Hundreds of requests are flowing into Seminole County for discounted bear-resistant trash cans.
Thanks to a grant from the state wildlife commission, Seminole County was able to purchase 1,300 bear-proof trash cans that it’s re-selling to residents at a reduced price.
Hardware stores sell them for around $200, but residents can buy them for less than half of that, and home owners associations can buy them in bulk for about $42. Low-income residents in that area can apply for free trash cans.
Discounts are only given to Seminole County residents in the Urban Bear Management Area, that’s west of I-4 and just east of the interstate.
Seminole County is known as Florida’s epicenter for bear and human encounters.
The county started enforcing an ordinance last year that cracks down on when the trash could be taken out. It also requires residents to keep up with other bear snacks like pet food and fruit trees.